How to Use sideways in a Sentence

sideways

adverb or adjective
Definition of sidewaysnext
Synonyms for sidewaysnext
  • To open the ladder and to set it sideways against the wall.
    — Keith Ridgway, The New Yorker, 17 May 2021
  • That was the only time the trip could’ve gone sideways.
    — Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2024
  • The flames licked sideways and leapt above the treetops.
    — Matthew Abbott, Environment, 18 Dec. 2020
  • Odysseus landed sideways on the south pole of the moon.
    — Devika Rao, theweek, 6 Mar. 2024
  • Hold the plant by its leaves or stems and turn it sideways.
    — Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 13 July 2022
  • The at-bats have gone sideways, not only for me but for the team.
    — Mike Digiovannastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2022
  • Don’t tilt the blade sideways, which might cause a corner to dig in and scratch.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023
  • This is not just a sign that my week has gone sideways.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2024
  • Lay sideways on the ground, then place the foam roller under your hip.
    — Health Editorial Team, Health, 4 Dec. 2023
  • There’s plenty of time for things to go sideways down the road.
    — James Yasko, Chron, 16 June 2022
  • When things go sideways, the kind of people who get the job done and keep our word.
    — Gina Martinez, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2023
  • Kim claims to not be tech-savvy, and her first episode was sideways.
    — Jenny Townsend, Wired, 1 Mar. 2022
  • The next wave was a foamy mess, and Chumbo hit it sideways.
    — William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022
  • The tree grew up and down and sideways – there were almost 7,500 names.
    — Natalie Morales, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2024
  • The shot is sideways, so that the couple appear to be vertical, with the sky to the left and the ground to the right.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 3 Dec. 2022
  • To use a land card to pay mana, tap the land card by turning it sideways.
    — Bailey Gates, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2023
  • The next two times Grove faced the Phillies’ top bats, though, things went sideways quickly.
    — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
  • Things can go sideways fast if the chemistry isn’t there.
    — Dallas News, 27 Dec. 2022
  • At around 375 miles from the center of Earth, things go sideways.
    — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 10 Mar. 2021
  • The swatch wasn’t wide enough for a house to face the street, as had the previous house, so the Drews built it sideways.
    — Roy S. Johnson | [email protected], al, 9 Feb. 2022
  • The sky had turned a tenacious gray, the rain sheeting sideways.
    — Ann Patchett, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2021
  • But if this season goes sideways, the lack of health and depth of the pitching staff could be why.
    — Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2024
  • The first step was to traverse sideways across the mountain, over the boulders.
    — Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022
  • Her legs were rigid, and one of her feet was twisted sideways.
    — Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
  • With that said, the Russell 2000 has moved mostly sideways for the year and has not sold off.
    — Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2021
  • The result was a chart that looks a bit like a volcano turned sideways.
    — Emily Barone, Time, 4 May 2022
  • The photo, which was shared sideways, is of Grande in profile.
    — Carrie Wittmer, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2022
  • This is heading in the wrong – the politics of this will get us sideways.
    — NBC News, 5 Feb. 2023
  • When Peter’s mother, played by Kathy Najimy, fixes him up on a blind date with her (extremely) hunky trainer before he’s had a chance to announce his faux relationship, things go sideways.
    — Emily St. Martin, Orange County Register, 18 Dec. 2024
  • But things went sideways during the pandemic, when the demand for office space plummeted, leaving Manhattan with some 100 million square feet of vacancies.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 19 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sideways.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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